More value from less food? Effects of epicurean labeling on moderate eating in the United States and in France.

Emerging research has shown that sensory-based interventions (e.g., inviting people to mindfully focus on the multisensory aspects of eating) can be a viable alternative to nutrition-based interventions (e.g., nutrition labeling) to encourage moderate eating. We contribute to this literature in two ways. First, we propose a novel and simple sensory-based intervention to increase the appeal of moderate food portions in commercial settings, epicurean labeling, which consists in emphasizing the aesthetic, multisensory properties of the food when describing it on menus or packages. Second, we show theory-relevant cross-cultural differences in the effectiveness of this intervention between the United States and France, two food cultures at the opposite ends of the hedonic-utilitarian food attitude spectrum. We report the results of a multi-day field experiment at a French cafeteria showing that epicurean labeling, unlike nutrition labeling, reduces intake while increasing the perceived monetary value of the meal thanks to higher savoring. We then show in a matched cross-national online experiment that epicurean labeling is more effective in France than in the United States. We provide additional evidence of this cross-cultural variation in a study of 9154 food products sold in supermarkets in both countries. We find that epicurean labeling is more prevalent, but also more likely to be associated with smaller portions in France than in the United States. While sensory-based interventions are a promising alternative to nutrition-based interventions, it is necessary to develop business-friendly interventions that can be implemented in everyday life, as well as to consider cultural factors that can modulate their effectiveness.

Effects of snack portion size on anticipated and experienced hunger, eating enjoyment, and perceived healthiness among children.

BACKGROUND: Large portion sizes encourage overconsumption. Prior studies suggest that this may be due to errors in anticipating the effects of portion size, although the studies were limited to adults and energy-dense foods. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to investigate potential anticipation errors related to the effects of portion size on hunger, eating enjoyment, and healthiness ratings among 8-to-11-year-old children, for snacks differing in energy density and healthiness perception, and as a function of initial hunger. METHODS: In a within-subject design, 83 children aged 8 to 11 years old were first asked to anticipate how much they would enjoy, how hungry they would feel after eating, and how healthy it would be to eat a recommended serving size, a 50% larger portion, and a 125% larger portion of brownie or applesauce. Over six subsequent sessions, the children were asked to eat all of each of these portions and then rate their post-intake enjoyment, residual hunger, and healthiness perceptions. We also measured hunger at the beginning of each session. RESULTS: For both snacks, larger portions reduced anticipated and experienced residual hunger similarly. In contrast, larger portions increased anticipated but not experienced eating enjoyment for both snacks; although larger portions increased anticipated and experienced enjoyment ratings among extremely hungry children. All children under-anticipated how much they would enjoy the smaller portion sizes. Healthiness ratings were unaffected by portion size for both snacks but differed across foods (applesauce vs. brownie). CONCLUSIONS: Children anticipate the effects of portion size on hunger change accurately, overestimate the effects of portion size on eating enjoyment, and rate food healthiness on food type and not portion size. Helping children better anticipate the enjoyment from smaller (recommended) portion sizes and understand that food quantity, not just quality, matters for healthy eating may be a solution to improve portion control.

Portion size selection in children: Effect of sensory imagery for snacks varying in energy density.

Food sensory imagery - creating a vivid mental image of the sensory experience of eating - can lead to the selection of smaller portions because it serves as a reminder that eating enjoyment does not necessarily increase with portion size. The evidence is mostly limited to adults and to energy-dense foods for which it is particularly difficult to predict the satiating effects of consumption quantity. The objective was to study how food sensory imagery influences portion size selection of foods varying in energy density (brownie and applesauce) by 7- to 11-year-old children. During after-school time, 171 children were randomized into two conditions. Children in the food sensory imagery condition were asked to imagine the taste, smell, and texture of eating palatable foods, i.e., chocolate cereal, chocolate waffle, and chocolate candies. Children in the control condition performed a similar sensory imagery task for non-food-related activities. Children were then asked to choose between the recommended serving size, a 50% larger portion, and a 125% larger portion of either brownie or applesauce. One week later, they were placed in the same condition for the other food. Compared to the control condition, food sensory imagery led children to choose 7.1% less brownie but had no effect on applesauce portion selection. Exploratory findings showed that the food sensory imagery intervention was especially effective at reducing brownie portion size selection among children who were moderately hungry, who usually eat fast, and whose parents pressure them to eat. In conclusion, food sensory imagery may be a useful intervention to nudge children towards healthier portion size choices because it reduces the selected portion size of an energy-dense snack without reducing the selected portion size of a healthier snack.

Pleasure as an ally of healthy eating? Contrasting visceral and Epicurean eating pleasure and their association with portion size preferences and wellbeing.

Research on overeating and self-regulation has associated eating pleasure with short-term visceral impulses triggered by hunger, external cues, or internal emotional urges. Drawing on research on the social and cultural dimensions of eating, we contrast this approach with what we call "Epicurean" eating pleasure, which is the enduring pleasure derived from the aesthetic appreciation of the sensory and symbolic value of the food. To contrast both approaches, we develop and test a scale measuring Epicurean eating pleasure tendencies and show that they are distinct from the tendency to experience visceral pleasure (measured using the external eating and emotional eating scales). We find that Epicurean eating pleasure is more prevalent among women than men but is independent of age, income and education. Unlike visceral eating pleasure tendencies, Epicurean eating tendencies are associated with a preference for smaller food portions and higher wellbeing, and not associated with higher BMI. Overall, we argue that the moralizing approach equating the pleasure of eating with 'low-level' visceral urges should give way to a more holistic approach which recognizes the positive role of Epicurean eating pleasure in healthy eating and wellbeing.

From fan to fat? Vicarious losing increases unhealthy eating, but self-affirmation is an effective remedy.

Using archival and experimental data, we showed that vicarious defeats experienced by fans when their favorite football team loses lead them to consume less healthy food. On the Mondays following a Sunday National Football League (NFL) game, saturated-fat and food-calorie intake increase significantly in cities with losing teams, decrease in cities with winning teams, and remain at their usual levels in comparable cities without an NFL team or with an NFL team that did not play. These effects are greater in cities with the most committed fans, when the opponents are more evenly matched, and when the defeats are narrow. We found similar results when measuring the actual or intended food consumption of French soccer fans who had previously been asked to write about or watch highlights from victories or defeats of soccer teams. However, these unhealthy consequences of vicarious defeats disappear when supporters spontaneously self-affirm or are given the opportunity to do so.